U.S. patent number 4,183,520 [Application Number 05/884,918] was granted by the patent office on 1980-01-15 for exercising device having operably interconnected primary and secondary pivot arms.
Invention is credited to Daniel F. Chase.
United States Patent |
4,183,520 |
Chase |
January 15, 1980 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Exercising device having operably interconnected primary and
secondary pivot arms
Abstract
A physical exercise device is comprised of an L-shaped main
pivot arm which is pivotally connected intermediate its ends to one
end of a support frame, and has pivotally attached to the distal
extremity of its horizontal leg a secondary pivot arm. A lever arm,
which is pivotally connected to the opposite end of the frame, is
interconnected intermediate its ends by a piston cylinder
counterbalancing unit to the frame below the main pivot arm, and a
cable interconnects the free extremity of the lever arm and the
free end of the secondary pivot arm. The cable medially passes over
a first set of pulleys located near the lower end of the vertical
leg of the main pivot arm, and a second set of pulleys located on
the support frame adjacent to the first set, so that when the main
pivot arm is rotated with respect to the frame, or when the
secondary pivot arm is rotated with respect to the main pivot arm,
the cable is pulled therealong, thereby causing the lever arm to be
rotated downwardly against the resistance of the counterbalancing
unit. The counterbalancing unit is slidably mounted on the lever
arm and an adjustment system allows its relative position to be
changed. As a result, the exercising force can be adjusted to suit
the user.
Inventors: |
Chase; Daniel F. (Kelso,
WA) |
Family
ID: |
25385717 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/884,918 |
Filed: |
March 9, 1978 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/112;
482/139 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
21/00072 (20130101); A63B 21/0087 (20130101); A63B
23/03525 (20130101); A63B 23/0355 (20130101); A63B
21/4035 (20151001); A63B 21/4047 (20151001) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
21/008 (20060101); A63B 23/035 (20060101); A63B
021/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;272/134,130,136,142,143,DIG.4,DIG.1,117,118 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pinkham; Richard C.
Assistant Examiner: Browne; William R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Chernoff & Vilhauer
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A physical exercise device comprising:
(a) a supportive frame;
(b) a counter-balancing unit including a linear compression
device;
(c) an elevated bed, located above said supportive frame for
supporting a user;
(d) a main pivot arm pivotally connected to said bed at one end
thereof;
(e) a lever arm pivotally connected at one end to said frame a
spaced distance below said bed, on the end thereof opposite said
main pivot arm;
(f) cable means interconnecting said main pivot arm and the other
end of said lever arm in a manner such that rotation of said main
pivot arm causes rotation of said lever arm; and
(g) a linear compression device interconnecting said lever arm and
said main frame in a manner to counteract said rotation of said
lever arm, said linear compression device comprising a pressurized
sealed tubular cylinder being directly connected to the lever arm
at one end thereof having a piston slidably communicating therein,
said piston having a valve opening which passes therethrough, and
having a ram attached to one end to one side of said piston and
said ram extending out of said cylinder and being directly
connected to the frame at the opposite end thereof, so that said
linear compression device resists a force applied by a user on said
lever arm irrespective of the position of said piston in said
tubular cylinder and irrespective of whether any activating force
is being applied to said main pivot arm.
2. The exercise device of claim 1 including adjustment means
associated with said lever arm for selectively positioning said
counter-balancing unit thereon.
3. The exercise device of claim 2 wherein the adjustment means
comprises:
(a) a threaded rod, located parallel with and rotatably joined to
said lever arm;
(b) a harness defining a passageway therethrough arranged for
slidably receiving said lever arm;
(c) said harness having a threaded bore located therein along side
said passageway, adapted for engaging said threaded rod, to allow
selectively positioning said harness on said lever arm upon
rotation of said threaded rod.
4. The exercise device of claim 2 wherein the adjustment means
comprises:
(a) said lever arm defining a series of spaced apart openings in
one side thereof;
(b) a harness defining a passageway therethrough arranged for
slidably receiving said lever arm;
(c) a spring biased pin, and a guide slidably carrying said pin and
attached to said hrness in a manner such that said pin is urged
into one of said openings when in alignment therewith; and
(d) keeper means associated with said pin for limiting the travel
of said pin between an extended position wherein it is engaged
within one of said openings and a retracted position wherein it is
disengaged from said opening.
5. The exercise device of claim 1 wherein said main pivot arm
includes a first leg which is normally disposed generally parallel
with respect to said bed, and a second leg which is generally
perpendicular to said first leg, first pulley means which is
located on said second leg near the distal extremity thereof,
second pulley means which is located on said frame adjacent to said
first pulley, cable attach means which are located on said first
leg proximate its intersection with said second leg, and said cable
means extending from aid lever arm around said first and second
pulley means to join with said cable attach means.
6. The exercise device of claim 5 including rolls rotatably
attached to the extremities of both legs of said main pivot arm on
each side thereof.
7. The exercise device of claim 5 wherein said first and second
pulley means each comprise two pulleys and the cable is reversely
bent and attached medially to the lever arm with both ends joined
to said cable attach means.
8. The exercise device of claim 5 including a secondary pivot arm
pivotally attached at one end to the distal extremity of said first
leg, wherein said cable attach means is located in the other end of
said secondary pivot arm.
9. The exercise device of claim 8 including a prone attachment and
means for releasably attaching said prone attachment to said
secondary pivot arm so that said prone attachment projects
outwardly from said other end thereof over said bed and sloping
upwardly therefrom at a shallow angle.
10. The exercise device of claim 8 including a sitting attachment
and means for releasably attaching said sitting attachment to said
secondary pivot arm so that it projects outwardly from said other
end thereof over said bed sloping upwardly therefrom at nearly
90.degree..
11. A physical exercise device comprising:
(a) a supportive frame;
(b) an elevated bed, located above said supportive frame for
supporting a user;
(c) a main pivot arm pivotally connected to said bed at one end
thereof, said main pivot arm including a first leg which is
normally disposed generally parallel with respect to said bed, and
a second leg which is generally perpendicular to said first
leg;
(d) a secondary pivot arm pivotally attached at one end to the
distal extremity of said first leg;
(e) first pulley means located on said second leg near the distal
extremity thereof, second pulley means located on said frame
adjacent to said first pulley means; and
(f) cable means attached at one end thereof to said secondary pivot
arm, at the end thereof opposite the end attached to said first
leg, extending around said first and second pulley means and
attached at the other end thereof to the extremity of a lever
arm.
12. The exercise device of claim 11 including a prone attachment
and means for releasably attaching said prone attachment to said
secondary pivot arm so that said prone attachment projects
outwardly from said other end thereof over said bed and sloping
upwardly therefrom at a shallow angle.
13. The exercise device of claim 11 including a sitting attachment
and means for releasably attaching said sitting attachment to said
secondary pivot arm so that it projects outwardly from said other
end thereof over said bed sloping upwardly therefrom at nearly
90.degree..
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an exercise device of the type having
variable force adjustment.
Physical exercise devices upon which a person can perform a broad
range of exercises for his limbs are known in the prior art.
However, the prior art devices of this class have shortcomings
which limit their usefulness as an all purpose exerciser.
While there are prior art exercisers which provide a constant
exercising force over their entire range of travel, those that do
are adapted for a single purpose rather than covering a wide range
of exercises, as is typlified by Muir, U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,265.
However, it is desirable that a constant exercising force also be
provided in multipurpose exercisers of the class of the subject
invention.
Also, it is desirable that the amount of exercising force can be
easily adjustable so that the device can be used by persons of
differing capabilities, or by one person for exercises requiring
different levels of exercising force. While prior art exercisers do
have this feature, they are either complex, and thus expensive to
fabricate, such as Brenthan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,599, or else they
are large and unwieldy such as Kulkens, U.S. Pat. No.
3,638,941.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to
devise a multi-purpose exercise device which is compact, is easy to
adjust for setting the level of exercising force and provides a
constant level of exercising force over its entire range of
travel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an
exercise device which is of simple design for inexpensive
manufacture and ease of operation.
To provide such an exerciser, an L-shaped main pivot arm is
pivotally attached at its center to the upper edge of one end of a
support frame having a horizontal bed for supporting the user.
Located on top of the horizontal leg of the main pivot arm, is a
secondary pivot which is pivotally joined to the outer end of the
horizontal leg for rotation upwardly therefrom. A cable, which is
attached to the free end of the secondary pivot arm, extends
downardly over pulleys located at the extremity of the vertical leg
of the main pivot arm and on the frame adjacent thereto, then
passes under the frame to joinder with the upper end of a lever
arm, which is pivotally attached at its lower end to the lower edge
of the end of the frame opposite to the main pivot arm.
Accordingly, rotation of the main pivot arm with respect to the
frame, or rotation of the secondary pivot arm with respect to the
main pivot arm causes the lever arm to be rotated also.
However, the lever arm is restrained against rotation by means of a
piston cylinder counter-balancing unit which interconnects the
lever arm, intermediate its ends, with the frame, at a point below
the main pivot arm. The counter-balancing unit is slidably attached
to the lever arm by a harness and can be fixed to it by either of
two adjustment systems. In the first, a threaded rod, which is
rotatably mounted on the lever arm, passes through a threaded bore
located in the harness, so that by rotating the threaded rod the
relative position of the counter-balancing unit along the lever arm
can be changed. In the second, a spring loaded pin carried by the
harness releasably is engaged into openings located in the lever
arm in order to secure the harness to the lever arm at the desired
location. In either embodiment the adjustment system serves to vary
the amount of exercising force generated by the device.
Arm attachments releasably fit into the free end of the secondary
pivot arm to provide means whereby the user can perform arm
exercises on the device, and rolls are attached at the extremities
of both the horizontal and vertical legs of the main pivot arm for
performing leg exercises.
The foregoing objectives, features and advantages of the present
invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the
following detailed description of the invention taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view, partially broken away and partially
exploded, showing a preferred embodiment of the exercising device
of the present invention.
FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are side elevational views showing various
manners in which the device is used.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 6--6 in
FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 is a foreshortened sectional view showing the
counter-balancing unit which is used on the exercising device.
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary pictorial view, partially broken away,
showing an alternate embodiment of the force adjustment system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the exercise device of the
present invention includes a tubular frame 10 which supports the
remaining elements of the device. Mounted horizontally on top of
the frame, which preferably lies approximately three feet off of
the ground, is a planar rectangular bed 12 which is designed to
support a user 13 in either a sitting position, FIGS. 2 and 5, or a
prone position, FIGS. 3 and 4.
Mounted at one end of the frame, adjacent to the bed, is an
L-shaped main pivot arm 14. The main pivot arm is freely pivotally
mounted in a bifurcated bracket 16 by means of a pin 18 in a manner
such that a first leg 20 of the arm normally lies substantially
horizontal and a second leg 22 normally lies substantially
vertical. Rotatably mounted at the extremity of each leg on each
side thereof are tubular rolls 24.
Lying on top of the first leg is a secondary pivot arm 26 which is
the same length as the first leg and which is joined to its
extremity by means of a pin 28. Thus the secondary pivot arm is
rotatable between a raised position above the first leg 20, as
shown in phantom line in FIG. 1, and a lower position on top of the
secondary pivot arm, as shown in solid line in FIG. 1. The unhinged
extremity of secondary pivot arm 26 is hollow to receive
attachments which increase the range and versatility of the device,
and ball detent 31 releasably secures the attachments in place when
they are inserted therein.
Prone attachment 32, FIGS. 1 and 4, includes a U-shaped body with
outwardly extending arms at each end, and it angles upwardly over
the bed at a shallow angle so that the arms are located immediately
above a user lying on the bed when the secondary pivot arm is in
its lowered position. A sitting attachment 34, FIG. 5, is shaped
similarly to the prone attachment except that it is angled upwardly
at close to 90.degree. so that its arms are located near the chin
of the user when he is sitting on the bed with his feet hanging
over its edge, with the secondary pivot arm in its lowered
position.
An elongate lever arm 28, pivotally attached to the bottom of the
frame at the end opposite the main pivot arm, serves as the force
generating means of the exercise device. The lever arm is connected
intermediate its ends to the frame by a linear compression device,
such as piston cylinder counter-balancing unit 30.
Referring now to FIG. 7, the counter-balancing unit is of the
commercially available type and comprises an elongate, tubular
cylinder 46 with a cylindrical piston 48, having a small bore 33
passing through it, slidably communicating within. A ram 35, which
is connected to the piston, extends out of the cylinder through an
opening 36 located in one of its ends. The piston forms a seal with
the cylinder and the ram forms a seal with the opening so that when
pressurized air is introduced into the cylinder, the pressure
equalizes on both sides of the piston through bore 33 even when the
piston is translated in the cylinder. However, since the area of
one side of the piston is less than the area of the other side, due
to the attachment of ram 35, the force generated on the piston by
the pressurized air is greater on the side without the ram.
Therefore, the piston and ram are continually urged toward one end
of the cylinder by a force which remains relatively constant
irrespective of the placement of the piston in the cylinder.
Accordingly, when the counter-balancing unit is installed in the
device as shown, with ram 35 pivotally connected to the frame below
the main pivot arm, and the cylinder connected to the lever arm, it
exerts a constant force on the lever in a manner to cause it to
pivot counter-clockwise, as shown in the drawings. However, in the
embodiment illustrated, the location at which the cylinder is
connected to the lever arm is adjustable, since the cylinder is
joined to the lever by means of a harness 38, FIG. 6, which
slidingly engages the lever and an adjustment system allows
selective positioning of the harness on the lever arm.
In a first embodiment of the adjustment system, rotatably joined to
the aback side of the lever and extending over nearly its entire
extent, is a threaded rod 40 which passes through a threaded bore
located in harness 38. Therefore, rotation of the threaded rod,
which is facilitated by a knob 39 located at its lower end, causes
the harness and thus the counter-balancing unit, to be translated
along lever 28 as shown in FIG. 3.
In a second embodiment of the adjustment system, shown in FIG. 8,
openings 50 are located at spaced intervals along one side of lever
arm 28. A similar opening passes through the harness on the side
which is adjacent to openings 50, and a hollow cylindrical guide
52, having opposed slots 54 located in its sides, is attached to
the harness coaxially with the opening in it. Slidably fitting
within guide 52 is an elongate pin 56 which has a diameter to
loosely fit through the opening in the harness and an aligned
opening 50. A spring 58 located in the guide, behind pin 51, urges
the pin toward opening 50, and a keeper 60, which fits tightly
through a bore located in the pin and through slots 54, restricts
the travel of pin 56. Accordingly, the pin normally fits into the
opening 50, but can be urged out of it by displacement of keeper 60
to enable sliding the harness to another position along lever arm
28.
The lever is connected to the secondary pivot arm 26 by a cable 41
which has one end attached to each side of the free end of the
secondary pivot arm. The cable extends downwardly along both sides
of second leg 22 and around a set of first pulleys 42, which are
located near its lower extremity. The cable then extends around a
set of second pulleys 44, which are located on frame 10 downwardly
adjacent to pulleys 42, and the center portion of the cable extends
freely through a cable guide 45 which is located at the top of
lever arm 28.
In the primary mode of operation, main pivot arm 26 is pivoted
counter-clockwise, as shown in the drawings, by engaging the users
limbs under rolls 24. This can be accomplished in several manners,
two of which are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5 of the drawings. As
the main pivot arm is pivoted, first pulley 42 is moved upwardly
and outwardly thereby pulling cable 41 and causing lever arm 26 to
be rotated clockwise. However, the rotation of lever arm 26 is
resisted by counter-balancing unit 30, thereby causing the main
pivot arm to impart a resisting force to the users limbs.
In the secondary mode of operation, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4,
one of the attachments 32 and 34 is inserted into secondary pivot
arm 26 for performing arm exercises. In this mode the secondary
pivot arm is pivoted, by the user's arms, upwardly with respect to
the main pivot arm, thereby again pulling cable 41 around pulleys
42 and 44. The reaction of lever arm 28 and counter-balancing unit
30 is the same as in the primary mode in providing a resistance
force.
In either mode of operation if a greater or lesser amount of
resistive force is desired, harness 38 is moved up or down
respectively on the lever arm either by turning rod 40, or by
releasing pin 56 and manually moving the harness, thereby
respectively increasing or decreasing the moment arm through which
the resistive force of the counter-balancing unit is transmitted to
the pivot arms. As seen in FIG. 3, the minimum exercising force is
provided when harness 38 is located at the bottom of the lever arm,
distance A from the lower extremity of the lever arm, and the
maximum exercising force is provided when harness 38 is located at
the top of the lever arm, distance B from the lower extremity of
the lever arm.
Accordingly, the amount of exercising force generated on the user's
limbs through the pivot arms is adjustable, and it remains constant
over the complete movement of either the main or secondary pivot
arm irrespective of its absolute level.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing
abstract and specification are used therein as terms of description
and not of limitation, and there is no intentions, in the user of
such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the
features shown and described or portions thereof, it being
recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited
only by the claims which follow.
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